Monthly Archives: November 2011

New and updated content

Written by: Peter McCracken
Published: November 29, 2011
Categories: Uncategorized

Lots more new content in the past few weeks. The following resources are new, and include three more Navy Records Society volumes:

Allin, Thomas, Sir, and R. C. Anderson. The Journals of Sir Thomas Allin, 1660-1678, Vol. 2 (Navy Records Society, Vol. 80). London: Navy Records Society, 1940.
Brian-Davis, Edward. Ship Photos. [U.K.]: , 2006-.
Corbett, Julian Stafford, Sir. Fighting Instructions, 1530-1816 (Navy Records Society, Vol. 29). London: Navy Records Society, 1905.
Heidler, David Stephen, and Jeanne T. Heidler. Encyclopedia of the War of 1812. Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO, 1997.
Helgason, Gudmundur, ed. uboat.net. Reykjavik, Iceland: G. Helgason, 1995-2011.
Palmer, Michael P. Palmer List of Merchant Vessels. Claremont, Calif.: Michael Palmer, 2000.
Sandwich, John Montagu, Earl of. The Private Papers of John, Earl of Sandwich, First Lord of the Admiralty, 1771-1782, Vol. 4 (Navy Records Society, Vol. 78). London: Navy Records Society, 1938.
Smith, Eugene W. Passenger Ships of the World, Past and Present. Boston, Mass.: George H. Dean, 1963.

In addition, I updated holdings for the following site, which corrected some errors and added lots of new ships:

Old Ship Picture Galleries.

As always, please let me know if you have ideas for content to add. I have enough to keep me busy for the next few years, but I always welcome more suggestions!

More new NRS volumes

Written by: Peter McCracken
Published: November 8, 2011
Categories: New Content

I’m plugging away at the Navy Records Society volumes; I’ve added the index to a collection of five volumes today. These are:

Monson, William, Sir, and Michael Oppenheim. The Naval Tracts of Sir William Monson, Vol. 1 (Navy Records Society, Vol. 22). London: Navy Records Society, 1902.
Monson, William, Sir, and Michael Oppenheim. The Naval Tracts of Sir William Monson, Vol. 2 (Navy Records Society, Vol. 23). London: Navy Records Society, 1904.
Monson, William, Sir, and Michael Oppenheim. The Naval Tracts of Sir William Monson, Vol. 3 (Navy Records Society, Vol. 43). London: Navy Records Society, 1912.
Monson, William, Sir, and Michael Oppenheim. The Naval Tracts of Sir William Monson, Vol. 4 (Navy Records Society, Vol. 45). London: Navy Records Society, 1913.
Monson, William, Sir, and Michael Oppenheim. The Naval Tracts of Sir William Monson, Vol. 5 (Navy Records Society, Vol. 47. London: Navy Records Society, 1913.

So, we’re always getting closer to getting all the NRS content in the database.

Remember that if you see content you’d like me to add, just drop me a line or post a reply here. I’m always interested to hear about new resources to add.

New content added; mostly Navy Records Society volumes

Written by: Peter McCracken
Published: November 8, 2011
Categories: New Content

Indexes for the following volumes have been added:

Firth, C. H. Naval Songs and Ballads (Navy Records Society, Vol. 33). London: Navy Records Society, 1908.
Rodger, N. A. M. The Naval Miscellany, Vol. 5 (Navy Records Society, Vol. 125). London: G. Allen & Unwin, for the Navy Records Society, 1984.
Syrett, David. The Siege and Capture of Havana, 1762 (Navy Records Society, Vol. 114).London: Navy Records Society, 1970.
Tanner, J. R., and Samuel Pepys. A Descriptive Catalogue of the Naval Manuscripts in the Pepysian Library at Magdalene College, Cambridge; Vol. 3 (Navy Records Society Vol. 36).London: Navy Records Society, 1909.
Tucker, Spencer. Blue & Gray Navies: The Civil War Afloat. Annapolis, Md.: Naval Institute Press, 2006.

One of my goals is to have the entire set of Navy Records Society volumes included in the database. These volumes are fantastic resources in British naval history. I’m working through them, one at a time. Right now, I think I have about a third or so of them in the premium database, though I’ve been focusing one the ones with the largest number of vessels mentioned in their indexes. (Actually, it’s more than a third, because some volumes have indexes for multiple volumes. I count about 53 actual indexes in the database, out of over 150 volumes published, so I’d guess the total number is closer to 60 or so.) Either way, I’ll keep at it…

Great new review of ShipIndex from Charleston Advisor

Written by: Peter McCracken
Published: November 3, 2011
Categories: Uncategorized

I got back from the Charleston Conference last night. I couldn’t stay for the conference, unfortunately, but I did get to attend, and present at, a pre-conference. I didn’t present on ShipIndex (though I did meander aimlessly about it while we were working through some technical difficulties and they needed me to say something – anything! – into the microphone…), but I did get some great ShipIndex news while I was there.

ShipIndex was just reviewed in The Charleston Advisor, a well-known and well-respected source for “Critical Reviews of Web Products for Information Professionals”. The review appears in the October issue, and a copy was distributed to all attendees at the Charleston Conference. ShipIndex got 4-1/2 stars, out of a possible 5, and a very positive review. The summary of the review includes this bit regarding content: “This unique, comprehensive and authoritative database provides a wealth of information about ships. Links to external content pull all of the information about each vessel together in one place. It is a perfect database for vessel research.” Regarding pricing, the reviewer wrote, “The database is so reasonably priced it is ridiculous. You get a lot of information for very little money.”

The full review is available online, but costs a whopping $38. (Of course, the journal itself costs $295 for libraries; $495 for others…) Just trust me – it’s very positive.

To top it all off, Charleston Advisor editors gave ShipIndex the 2011 award for “Best Content“! The citation reads “Everything you ever wanted to know about ships has been aggregated in this one Web site aimed at both researchers and hobbyists. The system is packed with information, has a strong user interface and a visually appealing look. This unique service was created by Peter McCracken, one of the cofounders of Serials Solutions.”

ShipIndex also received a “Recommended” review from Choice this summer (June 2011), which described the site as “a needed research tool for maritime history, [and] useful for academic and special libraries with interested clientele.”

Good feelings all around.

Shipindex.org Blog